Ramsey Town Council to take a stand on dog fouling ‘if problem persists’

Ramsey Town Council has threatened to block public access to a cemetery after a reported increase in dog fouling at the site.

The Ramsey Town Council offices

According to the authority, the cemetery, which is situated in Wood Lane, has recently seen a dramatic increase in the amount of dog fouling.

The space is currently open to the public but the town council is now considering blocking access to the site due to the issue.

The mayor of Ramsey, Councillor Doug McIlwain said: “It has been drawn to my attention that recently the number of people that are allowing their dogs to foul on the cemetery has risen.

“Although the cemetery isn’t full yet, I think that it is so disrespectful for people to just allow this to happen.

“The gardener who maintains the grass there said that when he was mowing the lawn he was turning over as much dog mess as he was grass, which just shows the extent of the problem.”

Cllr McIlwain said: “There are so many places in Ramsey for dog owners to take their dogs and this is not one of them. As a dog owner I know that is not very difficult to pick up after your dog so it disgusts me that people just can’t be bothered.

“We originally put a bridge in to allow the public access to the cemetery but I feel like it is just being abused now.

“I really don’t want it to come to this but I feel like this issue is becoming more and more serious and something need to be done.

“I think it is just utterly disrespectful and disgusting that dog owners are allowing their dogs to foul on land that is going to be used to bury people.”

The town council is now threatening to block access to the site by removing the bridge and putting up fencing due to the fouling.

The mayor added: “It’s not really a step we want to take but we will do it if we have to. The issue is getting that bad that this will be the step that we take if we don’t see it decrease.”

You can report dog fouling in the area to Huntingdonshire District Council on 01480 388302.